MusicGlove by Flint Rehabilitation Devices LLChttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com
Sat, 28 Feb 2015 00:27:46 +0000en-UShourly1How to Improve Movement Recovery after Stroke (Part I)https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2015/improve-movement-recovery-stroke-part/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2015/improve-movement-recovery-stroke-part/#commentsTue, 13 Jan 2015 21:40:53 +0000https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=1169by Dr. Daniel K. Zondervan Improving Movement Recovery after Stroke Regaining movement ability after a stroke can be a long and difficult process. Often times, lots of improvements are made in the first few weeks or months, but then progress slows down. This can be a very discouraging time. Fortunately, research has shown that there...

Improving Movement Recovery after Stroke

Regaining movement ability after a stroke can be a long and difficult process. Often times, lots of improvements are made in the first few weeks or months, but then progress slows down. This can be a very discouraging time. Fortunately, research has shown that there is hope. Continued rehabilitation exercises are proven to restore lost movement ability even years after a stroke. However, it is important that those exercises are done correctly.

In this article, we will talk about the “Three D’s” of stroke rehabilitation exercises, and the role they play in optimizing your movement recovery after a stroke. But first, it is important to understand what makes stroke rehabilitation exercises different.

Brain vs. Body

When you think about exercising, what images come to mind? People lifting weights in the gym? Joggers going for an early morning run? Or maybe just a brisk walk through the park? These are all great examples of what I will call “Traditional Exercise”. In Traditional Exercise, we work out our body, and then our muscles, heart, and lungs get stronger as a result. These are the exercises we are all familiar with.

Now, if I asked you to think about stroke rehabilitation exercises, what images would come to mind? Chances are, if you haven’t been to an occupational or physical therapist, you won’t really know what to think. If you have, you’ll know that a lot of times, it does not involve the types of heavy lifting or extended exertion that we see in Traditional Exercise. A rehabilitation exercise could include anything from picking up and moving blocks of wood on a table, to simply stretching out your fingers or hand. Some of the most difficult of these “Rehabilitation Exercises” may look nothing like the Traditional Exercises we all know.

The main reason these two types of exercises can be so different, is that Traditional Exercise is primarily focused on training thebody, while Rehabilitation Exercise is all about re-training thebrain. Because of this, the strategies that work for one type of exercise won’t necessarily be as effective for the other type of exercise. Unfortunately, while there are thousands of websites, magazines, and TV shows that teach us how to do Traditional Exercise better, there isn’t nearly as much information on how to make Rehabilitation Exercise as effective as possible.

Improving recovery after stroke is all about retraining the brain.

Which, of course, brings us to the main point of this article. Below I am going to talk about the “Three D’s” of stroke rehabilitation: Dose, Difficulty, and Drive. I’ll explain how each of these things can improve your recovery, and I’ll give you some tips on how to incorporate them into your own therapy regimen.

Dose

The number one most important thing for recovery after stroke is the dose of rehabilitation you perform. Put simply, the more exercises you do, the more you will recover. It sounds like a simple formula, but it can be difficult to put in to practice, especially when your body just doesn’t respond like you want it to. But when it comes to re-training your brain, it is all about patience.

To explain, think back to the example I gave for Traditional Exercise of going to the gym. If you have ever lifted weights, you will know that even after the first day, your muscles will feel sore, and you can tell you worked hard. Now, when you are recovering after a stroke, what is really happening is that the brain is learning new ways to control your muscles. It is almost like a child learning how to walk. You won’t necessarily notice progress right away, because the brain has to try something over and over and over again before the new connections become strong. And just like that child learning to walk may fall down over and over again, if they stick with it, their brain will learn how to put the pieces together.

Again, it is all about patience. Exercise a lot, and keep doing it. The progress will come.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2015/improve-movement-recovery-stroke-part/feed/2How to Improve Movement Recovery after Stroke (Part II)https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2015/improve-movement-recovery-stroke-part-ii/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2015/improve-movement-recovery-stroke-part-ii/#commentsTue, 13 Jan 2015 21:40:21 +0000https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=1173This is Part II of our blog post on improving movement recovery after stroke. To read Part I, click here. Difficulty The second key point is difficulty. This means that when you are doing your exercises, you need to challenge yourself appropriately (in the academic world, this is referred to as the “Challenge Point Framework”)....

Difficulty

The second key point is difficulty. This means that when you are doing your exercises, you need to challenge yourself appropriately (in the academic world, this is referred to as the “Challenge Point Framework”).

For example, check out the humorous video below. You will see a young child going one-on-one against an NBA basketball player.

In this video, it is clear that the task is much too difficult the child to ever be successful. Because of this, his brain is not getting the opportunity to learn new things. He is just failing over and over. At the same time, for the NBA player, this task is way too easy. He doesn’t have to try to succeed every time, so his brain isn’t being stretched by having to solve new problems.

Clearly, for both the child and the basketball player to improve their skills, they need to practice differently. The task they practice should be challenging enough that it pushes them to their limit, but not so challenging that they can never succeed. When you are recovering after a stroke, the same rules apply. The rehabilitation exercises you do need to be appropriately challenging, otherwise they won’t help you improve.

The trick here is that every single person that is recovering from a stroke is different. And that means that each person will have a different level of challenge that works for them. One on hand, you need to push yourself. You need to be working hard to improve. But on the other hand, if a task is too difficult, it is discouraging, and ultimately will not be beneficial. It is all about balance.

Drive

The final “D” is Drive. A better word might be “Motivation”, but that doesn’t start with a “D”!

This one is pretty obvious, but it is also perhaps the most difficult one to achieve. If you are not motivated to recover, chances are you are not going to challenge yourself, or perform the high number of repetitions needed to reach your full potential. But it can be extremely hard to maintain a high level of motivation, especially when you are limited to perform a very limited number of movements over and over and over again. Trust me, I know how boring that can be.

Because of this, my best advice is to find what drives you. Maybe it is listening to music while you exercise. Maybe it is setting a goal for every week, and then rewarding yourself when you reach it. For example, if you exercise for three hours in a week, then you get to go out for a nice dinner on Saturday night.

Another great way to keep up your motivation is to accurately measure your progress. It may seem like you are stuck in one place, which can make it hard to continue. But if you have a good tool that can show you even the smallest improvements, it can be extremely motivating to see that progress bar tick up week after week.

Putting it All Together

So, to recap, when you are recovering from a stroke, the goal is to re-train the brain. To do this, you need to do a lot of exercise (Dose) at a balanced level of effort (Difficulty), and you need to stick with it, even when it is hard or boring (Drive).

It may seem like a lot, but the good news is, you are not in this alone. Clinicians, friends, and family can all help to keep you on track to meet your recovery goals. It is also helpful to find therapy options that work for you and help keep you motivated. Here at Flint, all of the therapy tools we develop are built on the principle of Dose, Difficulty, and Drive.

For example, our MusicGlove Home Therapy Suite uses rhythmic gaming to prompt a high number of repetitions. It also features several difficulty levels so you can find the mode that pushes you to improve. Plus, we spent a lot of time making sure it is fun to play. We even play it ourselves! This makes it easy to stay motivated throughout the recovery process.

Our MusicGlove Home Therapy Suite includes a 10″ Tablet with custom software, headphones, and a MusicGlove exercise device.

That’s it for now! Feel free to leave comments below with any questions or techniques of your own for retraining your brain. If possible, I’ll discuss them in future articles.

About the Author

Dr. Daniel K. Zondervan received his Ph.D. from UC Irvine, where he performed research on novel methods for optimizing stroke recovery. He has over six years of experience in the field of rehabilitation science and has published several peer-reviewed journal articles on the topic. He now writes for Flint in hopes of using that knowledge to impact a broader audience.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2015/improve-movement-recovery-stroke-part-ii/feed/1MusicGlove Now Available for Hand Rehab at Cedars-Sinai Medical Centerhttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/musicglove-hand-rehab-at-cedars-sinai/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/musicglove-hand-rehab-at-cedars-sinai/#commentsMon, 22 Dec 2014 21:52:45 +0000https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=839Cedars-Sinai MusicGlove In-Service A few months ago, the lovely folks at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center invited us out to give an in-service on the MusicGlove Clinic Suite to their physical and occupational therapy staff. We gave a short talk on the importance of the “Three D’s” (Dose, Difficulty, and Drive) for optimizing motor recovery after a...

A few months ago, the lovely folks at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center invited us out to give an in-service on the MusicGlove Clinic Suite to their physical and occupational therapy staff. We gave a short talk on the importance of the “Three D’s” (Dose, Difficulty, and Drive) for optimizing motor recovery after a stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, or other neurologic injury. Then we let them try out the MusicGlove. They loved it, and had really great feedback on how it could be used for hand therapy to help their patients.

We have stayed in touch with them since then, and are pleased to finally announce that the MusicGlove Clinic Suite is now being used for inpatient and outpatient hand rehab at Cedars-Sinai rehabilitation facilities! We are thrilled to be partnered with such a prestigious and well-rounded institution. If you or anyone you know is receiving rehabilitation treatment at Cedars-Sinai, be sure to ask for MusicGlove Therapy to improve your hand function and have fun at the same time. Join hundreds of others who are discovering the joy of music-based hand rehabilitation, and seeing dramatic improvements in hand function after as little as two weeks.

Hand Rehab at Cedars-Sinai

The Cedars-Sinai Stroke Program has long been regarded as one of the best in the nation, being among the first programs in the country to receive a certification from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. They have a fantastic record of making sure every patient that comes through their hospital is considered for a Rehabilitation Plan. When creating your Plan, don’t forget that MusicGlove is available for home use as well.

We are looking forward to our continued partnership with this wonderful stroke program, and are pleased that they chose Flint Rehabilitation Devices to equip their therapists and staff with the best tools to spark recovery.

If you or your clinic would like to try out a unit for free, just follow this link and click the button to request a free trial! If you are in the Southern California area, use our contact form or call us at 949-667-0140 to schedule an in-service with one of our MusicGlove educators.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/musicglove-hand-rehab-at-cedars-sinai/feed/0Attendees At The 2014 OTAC Annual Conference “Rocked” With The MusicGlovehttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/2014-otac-annual-conference/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/2014-otac-annual-conference/#commentsSat, 08 Nov 2014 00:52:13 +0000http://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=198Thank you for coming! Flint Rehabilitation Devices had an outstanding participation in the 2014 OTAC Annual Conference held at the Pasadena Convention Center on October 16-19. A special thank you to all the attendees that had a chance to try out the MusicGlove and provide us with your feedback. We are grateful for your encouragement,...

Flint Rehabilitation Devices had an outstanding participation in the 2014 OTAC Annual Conference held at the Pasadena Convention Center on October 16-19. A special thank you to all the attendees that had a chance to try out the MusicGlove and provide us with your feedback. We are grateful for your encouragement, and we are glad to see that you are as excited about MusicGlove for clinic use as we are!

As a new medical device manufacturer, it was great to network with and receive feedback from the occupational therapists, clinical directors, and students who will be the ones using our products. As a result, the MusicGlove is being used in even more physical and occupational therapy centers. We hope to continue building these relationships in the future so that we can continue to provide the easy-to-use tools you need to spark recovery in your patients.

An OTAC Annual Conference participant trying their hand at MusicGlove, a new music based tool for hand therapy by Flint Rehabilitation Devices.

OTAC Annual Conference

The Occupational Therapy Association of California (OTAC) began in 1976 and is a non-profit group that is made up of more than 14,000 Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapy Assistants. We appreciate OTAC for gathering all the distinguished companies that service the rehabilitation industry as well as all the the people that participated at our booth. If you did not have a chance visit our booth in October, we hope to see you at the AOTA 95th Annual Conference in Nashville TN in April. Thank you again to all those who attended.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/2014-otac-annual-conference/feed/0MusicGlove Used At UCLA With People With Spinal Cord Injury And At UCI for People With Strokehttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/ucla/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/ucla/#commentsThu, 11 Sep 2014 02:20:50 +0000http://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=46Flint Rehabilitation Devices has partnered with Dr. Daniel Lu, MD., PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles. The group is using the MusicGlove to treat people with a spinal cord injury and to assess their improvements over time. Dr. Lu’s clinical expertise involves minimally invasive techniques in the surgical management of degenerative, traumatic, and...

]]>Flint Rehabilitation Devices has partnered with Dr. Daniel Lu, MD., PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles. The group is using the MusicGlove to treat people with a spinal cord injury and to assess their improvements over time. Dr. Lu’s clinical expertise involves minimally invasive techniques in the surgical management of degenerative, traumatic, and neoplastic spinal disorders. As the Director of the Neuroplasticity and Repair Laboratory and the UCLA Neuromotor Recovery and Rehabilitation Center, his research efforts are focused on modulating the neuronal circuitry and networks in the treatment of central nervous system disorders with the ultimate goal of restoring lost function.

At the University of California in Irvine, the MusicGlove is being used at the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center as a clinical outcome measure for people with stroke undergoing robotic therapy. The device is also being used to treat people with chronic and sub-acute stroke. The center is one of the largest, most technologically advanced stem cell research facilities in the world. Recent advances at the Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center have led to the world’s first clinical trial of a human neural stem cell-based therapy for chronic spinal cord injury and the first FDA-approved clinical trial using stem cells.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/ucla/feed/0MusicGlove Has Moved into The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicagohttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/rehabilitation-institute-of-chicago/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/rehabilitation-institute-of-chicago/#commentsSat, 06 Sep 2014 02:20:31 +0000http://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=44We are pleased to announce that the MusicGlove system is now available for clinical use at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. We are honored to have the MusicGlove in the #1 rehabilitation hospital in the United States, and are excited to share our innovative music-based therapy with a wider audience. The Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at...

]]>We are pleased to announce that the MusicGlove system is now available for clinical use at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. We are honored to have the MusicGlove in the #1 rehabilitation hospital in the United States, and are excited to share our innovative music-based therapy with a wider audience.

The Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at RIC serves hundreds of patients each year and has state-of-the-art facilities equipped with robotic rehabilitation equipment, specialized recovery programs, and multiple physicians, therapists and nurses on staff. It is also the only hospital designated by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research as a Stroke Rehabilitation Research and Training Center. As a recognized leading provider of comprehensive rehabilitation services, RIC is the perfect partner for Flint Rehabilitation Devices as we continue to push for engaging, effective, and enjoyable recovery options.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/rehabilitation-institute-of-chicago/feed/0MusicGlove Now Available in Two Leading Rehabilitation Centershttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/leading-rehabilitation-centers/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/leading-rehabilitation-centers/#commentsWed, 06 Aug 2014 02:20:19 +0000http://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=42The MusicGlove system is now available for clinical use at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Hospital in Downey, CA, and at St. Jude Centers for Rehabilitation & Wellness in Brea, CA. We are excited to partner with such prestigious institutions and look forward to helping many more people spark their motor recovery. The Rancho Los...

The Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center is one of the largest comprehensive medical rehabilitation centers in the U.S. providing services to a wide range of individuals with catastrophic illnesses and injuries. For more than two decades, Rancho has been ranked among “America’s Best Hospitals” in Rehabilitation Medicine by U.S. News & World Report. In 2011, U.S. News ranked the hospital 7th among the 138 hospitals rated in the Greater Los Angeles area. As the rehabilitation arm of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services healthcare system, Rancho is also becoming an enhanced medical home for stroke and spinal cord injury, providing lifetime care for seniors and persons with disabilities. Rancho continues to pioneer creative programs that promote recovery, community reintegration and independence for persons recovering from or living with physical disability, and now will provide cutting edge music-based therapy with the MusicGlove as well.

The St. Jude Centers for Rehabilitation & Wellness is a member of the non-profit St. Joseph Health System and serves thousands of patients from throughout north Orange County. St Jude was awarded the 2010 Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence, an honor which recognizes the top five percent of hospitals in the country, as well as the Stroke Care Excellence Award from 2008-2010. Their stroke recovery program combines highly trained professionals with the newest therapies and technology to create the best outcomes. The program specializes in providing outstanding care and service to meet the needs of individuals who have experienced a stroke, and it is one of the few CARF (Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities) accredited programs in California. The MusicGlove will be a perfect fit as part of their full spectrum rehabilitation program.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/leading-rehabilitation-centers/feed/1MusicGlove Featured in Calit’s Interface Magazinehttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/donec-ultrices-volutpat-nisl/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/donec-ultrices-volutpat-nisl/#commentsSat, 17 May 2014 02:19:53 +0000http://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=39The MusicGlove is in the press again, with a special feature in Interface Magazine. “We’re trying to figure out how to use technology to empower people to take care of their health,” says Collaboratory manager Mark Bachman, assistant professor of electrical engineering & computer science. Advances in telecommunication and the accessibility of inexpensive electronic devices, he...

]]>The MusicGlove is in the press again, with a special feature in Interface Magazine.

“We’re trying to figure out how to use technology to empower people to take care of their health,” says Collaboratory manager Mark Bachman, assistant professor of electrical engineering & computer science. Advances in telecommunication and the accessibility of inexpensive electronic devices, he notes, “open the door to a great opportunity.”

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2014/donec-ultrices-volutpat-nisl/feed/0Flint Is Awarded Two More SBIR Grants!https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2012/two-more-sbir-grants/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2012/two-more-sbir-grants/#commentsSat, 18 Aug 2012 02:19:46 +0000http://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=38We are proud to announce that we have received two more Small Business Innovative Research grants from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a branch of the Department of Education. More information about the SBIR program can be found here. One of these grants will enable us to refine RAE for at-home use,...

]]>We are proud to announce that we have received two more Small Business Innovative Research grants from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), a branch of the Department of Education. More information about the SBIR program can be found here.

One of these grants will enable us to refine RAE for at-home use, and, through a partnership with researchers at UC Irvine, to perform controlled testing of the device in an at-home setting. This is both to better understand the best way of using the device, and to ensure that we will provide our customers with a quality product. We are excited to begin providing people with devices they can take home and use to work on their rehabilitation or motor improvement outside of the clinic.

The other grant will allow us to do further research on the MusicGlove (again partnering with UC Irvine) to better understand the benefits it can provide to survivors of stroke. We firmly believe in having our devices backed by science. We are committed to providing our customers with tools that work, and only by adhering to rigorous scientific standards can we stand by our products with confidence.

]]>https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2012/two-more-sbir-grants/feed/0Flint Receives SBIR Grant from NIHhttps://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2012/sbir-grant-from-nih/
https://www.flintrehabilitation.com/2012/sbir-grant-from-nih/#commentsWed, 11 Jul 2012 02:19:32 +0000http://www.flintrehabilitation.com/?p=36Our application for a Small Business Innovative Research grant from the National Institutes of Health has been approved! The SBIR grant program is “a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization.” More information about the mission and goals of the...

]]>Our application for a Small Business Innovative Research grant from the National Institutes of Health has been approved! The SBIR grant program is “a highly competitive program that encourages domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) that has the potential for commercialization.” More information about the mission and goals of the program can be found here.

Our grant, entitled “A Music-Based Rehabilitation Device for Training and Assessing Hand Function” will enable us to further refine the MusicGlove for home use. Importantly, it includes a partnership with UC Irvine to perform rigorous testing of the device in an at-home setting. This will enable us to stay true to our mission of providing high quality rehabilitation devices that are proven to be safe and effective. We look forward with confidence to this exciting opportunity.